Religion Blog

BERLIN — Pope Francis, who has made humility and modesty his hallmark, sent a swift and clear
message to Roman Catholics around the world yesterday that he wants all representatives of the
church to do the same. He suspended a German bishop accused of spending millions on lavish
renovations to his residence and forced the chief administrator of the bishop’s diocese into early
retirement.

The bishop, Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, of Limburg, Germany, was reported to have allowed
costs for his residence and other church buildings to run to more than $41 million. The project
drew ridicule in the German news media for luxuries like a $20,000 bathtub, a $1.1 million
landscaped garden and plans for an 800-square-foot fitness room.

The pope acted just two days after receiving the bishop in Rome, where he was summoned to
explain himself.

Tebartz-van Elst’s lifestyle and stern manner had upset German Catholics for months. The pope’s
decision to suspend him suggested that Francis will enforce his values across the church
hierarchy.

The pope is living in a spartan guesthouse in the Vatican, rather than the opulent apartments
his predecessors used.

German church experts said the bishop would probably never return to his post, even though the
Vatican presented his suspension as temporary.